My Alligator!

I'm not very good at posting on time. Here's my try at a vicious alligator.

Reptiles are cool.

Haven't updated for a while. Here's a drawing!

Yeeee-Haw!

Here are some scribbles I did at a rodeo I went to last week. Maybe I'll use one and turn it into a cooler drawing. We'll see!



...I secretly wish I was a barrel racer.

So the story goes...

I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Mostly story and writing stuff. And I decided, since I want to do story, I should probably have some story stuff on this blog! Here's a couple of excerpts that I thought were cool. This one is from Joseph Campbell:

"The wonder is that the characteristic efficacy to touch and inspire deep creative centers dwells in the smallest nursery fairy tale- as the flavor of the ocean is contained in a droplet or the whole mystery of life within the egg of a flea."

So cool. That the smallest story can still capture the essence of life!

This next one is from a book by Stephen King called On Writing. Which is awesome and I recommend it to anyone that is interested in story. I read it between my first and second year at CalArts and it's one of the things that really turned me on to storyboarding and the power of visual storytelling. Here's a part I thought was neat, about the process of coming up with a story:

"I believe that stories are found things, like fossils in the ground. Stories aren't souvenir tee-shirts or GameBoys. Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world. The writer's job is to use the tools in his or her toolbox to get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible. Somtimes the fossil you uncover is small; a seashell. Sometimes it's enormous, a Tyrannosaurus Rex with all those gigantic ribs and grinning teeth. Either way, short story or thousand-page whopper of a novel, the techniques of excavation remain basically the same."

Isn't that the way it feels when you're boarding out a film? You uncover one chunk but there are holes in other places, and you just have to discover them! So they all fit together as a story! Pretty awesome.

So here are some of my story boards from my portfolio this year. Some are much rougher than others as you can see! Alas. Haven't decided if I will put the rest of them up here or not. Hopefully I'll get some new stuff up here soon.







P.S. I love Surf's Up. Go see it. And support it. And love it too.

I Love CalArts

There seems to be a lot of hate out there right now for CalArts. So I just wanted to spread a little CalArts love! And maybe it doesn't mean much. I worked really hard to get into that school. Everyone did. And it didn't let me down at all. I feel so lucky to be a part of that department. To be surrounded by so many super talented people, in the classes ahead of me, the classes behind me, and the students in my own class. We all work our guts out. We all have a real passion for animation. You guys are the best! Here's to CalArts Character Animation!!

If Gandalf were a dog...

he would be an Irish Wolfhound!

I'm Free!

I'm finally free! I can now draw whatever I want, whenever I want! I'm hoping to update more frequently now. But right now, I'm still posting some stuff from my film. Hope you don't get sick of it!

These are my favorite pans! So, here you go!

Dear Pirates 2,

I hate so much about the things you choose to be.

Sincerely,
Heidi Jo Gilbert

A bit of silliness

These are best left with no explanation.

Film Shots

Well here are a couple of shots from my film. Jen and I spent a while trying to figure out how to color this without really coloring it! I need some limited color for some story points of the seasons changing. And I liked the monochromatic feel. Feels more like a fairy tale out of a book, which is kind of what I'm going for. But anyway, here's what we ended up with.

Kimono Dragon

This post is for Nick. My twin brother. He wants me to screen this on a t-shirt for him. I have no time. So I post. Nick, now you can look at it endlessly. Maybe you'll get your shirt in May.



Here's a picture strip of Nick and me. Don't we look like twins? We're making the exact same face! The second one down is my favorite.


PS: Updating is easy when you post old drawings!

2007 Here I Come!

Hey everyone. I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I've been busy with the holidays and I'm trying to crunch on my film so I can't promise that the updating will get any better! But here's a baby skunk drawing to make you instantly happy!